A recent settlement involving an employer and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) illustrates the potential risk for an employer that questions whether an employee who asks for a religious accommodation has sincere religious beliefs. The settlement agreement in EEOC v. Hank’s Furniture, (N.D. Fla. July 15, 2024), prohibits the employer from concluding that any religious belief is not sincere because the employer thinks it may be inaccurate or unfounded. The settlement also prohibits the employer from requiring an employee who requests a religious accommodation to show that his or her religious belief is an official tenet or endorsed teaching of any religion.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association, can read more here.